Sunday, July 31, 2005

Sega is at it again with a SEQUEL to I would die for you.For those of who were living in a hole or just didn't care, I would die for you was that wacky Nintendo DS game where you had to win a girl by saving her, from among other things, overturned scorpion trucks and hungry sharks.Anyway, the title translates to, "Where do babies come from?"That catchy main page music will dig itself into your brain and never leave.

akachan wa dokokarakuruno?Hummmmmm, oh yeah, if you click the game link, you get a hummer's version of the can-can and some downright odd pictures.

Where'd all these random companies come from?I have four guys all asking "when it's a good time" to talk to them.WTFNESS?Again, in the no sleep zone.Sucks.Tomorrow's/today's/thurday's another match, this time against DIE.I haven't played halo like all week, so we'll see how it goes =OI'm more excited about the 29th, for rather silly reasons I won't go into detail about here.

Friday, July 22, 2005

So we played our Halo PC assault league match yesterday.First things first, halobuster ABSOLUTELY dropped the ball.Completely.It failed for about everyone in the assault league, forcing gamecam and fraps to be used.And of course, if your computer was too shitty to use either (I HATE playing at 30fps or just variable fps in general), then you had to basically agree to a no HB no vid capture game, which always brings up the problem of wires and BLUE WALLZ OMGZ.Yeah sucks.At least fox didn't play the first week, so rasta couldn't have brought out his xray goggles.

The way assault league works is:You have 2 minutes on offense or defense, where you try to bring the flag to the opponent's base or stop that from doing so.When your time is up you switch to the other mode, regardless of where the flag is.No silly lag jumping with hogs (think the bloodgulch hog gunner throws).First round, then teams switch colors (this helps on maps like blood gulch, where red has such a territory advantage)If it's tied in overall captures, it goes into overtime.

ANYWAY, we were vs WTF LAG, who has dole.Not only Dole, but Dole, stimpy, u No, synide, and st!mpy.Let's put it nicely when I say each one of these guys could 1v1 each one of our guys and win.We were running Methos, Naota, Mike, Ziri, and yours truly.We were going to switch Rathe in but didn't happen =O.First round we were on red.Anyway, we hit the rod room first (OMG!) and blasted their two guys in there...but after a while when I got up on their side of the ledge I was killed by psychic nades.I don't think we ever got control of the middle ever again after that, uNo was just pounding us from the sniper cliff, and stimpy was always in the middle on the temple with a rod, and someone ELSE was always either on OUR rockets or THEIR rockets with a rod.Oh yeah, stupid Dole wasn't sniping (he's so awesome at it), he was lag capping =O.We got pincered in the second to last chance they had for scoring, I'm just grateful we held them to 1-0 instead of something worse.

Round two, we go on blue.MAD capping here.Christ this game was exciting as hell.I was capper more often than most, and I was like at 0 12 at one point, which improved to 2-16 or something horrible like that.I think they actually were up 2 flags before we made this furious rally.I remember getting really close before getting popped, than Ziri came with this OUT OF NO WHERE save from the tunnels and scored.Anyway, we took the sniper ledge more often than not, took the middle more often than not, and beat them to the temple rod more often than not.Round ends 3-2...US!

Overtime. Home team (US) chooses blue.The way overtime works each team gets 2 minutes for offense, then a lo3 (load 3) which basically resets the map while the other team gets 2 minutes for offense.If the team that starts on offense caps, the other team still gets a chance.First team ahead after each pair of 2 minute rounds wins.Crazy.We basically kept shutting each other down clean.I think this is when my mother walked in and was like you're still playing games!And I was like I'm sorry, it's overtime in a tournament match =OAnyway, kept gunning dole out of his ghost with rocket and machine gun hogs, and our runner(s) (we didn't really do extremely set positions, so I think as many as 3 different people were flag runners) were basically stuffed before we even went halfway by temple frg or ledge frg or sniper.This goes back and forth for a while.I think we got really close once, we had two ghosts well past half way, only dole? was manning a rocket hog, and we had someone on their side tunnels, but the ghosts (I was behind ziri I think) were impatient (oops) and we went early without waiting for our tunnel guy to blast dole away or at least distract.We could have won it right there.Anyway, WTF finally pulls a pincer on us and scores.GGs around.

But WAIT!Assault league rules state that if each side goes through 3 overtime periods with no score, the game is a draw!We started rewatching our videos and counting our rounds, and turns out we had all forgotten about the rule and WTF had scored on their 4th run.So we tied!They still owned us in kills though, but that match was really fun.

Oh right, had another interview this MORNING, this time with manpower professionals, a contracting company that does work for...IBM.In short, I have to go through that interview, than basically go through an interview with IBM also.Bleah, but I think I did pretty well this interview, unlike say tsvgroup.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Today, when I went over the White Plains for company look around, I was driven by my dad to American Ma's house, and then she drove me to the company.My dad works pretty far (Tarrytown), and he couldn't take the drives anymore, so he actually stays the night at her place two of three days during the work week.

When my dad came over from Taiwan, he stayed over with a host family for...I don't know, a long time before marrying and settling in Brewster.The host family was this ridiculously all-American model, we're talking ancestors immigrated in the 1630's from Ireland and France on both sides, many relatives, the works.When we were young or so, our family always went to their sprawling house on holidays.And BOY were they awesome times...traditional multiple course turkey dinners with lots of people during Thanksgiving and Christmas, or on Easter we'd go hunt for eggs, etc.We called the matriarch and the patriarch American grandpa and American grandma respectively, along with Uncle Joe (their son), and Aunt Julie (their daughter), and uncle Lubashek? (haha i still can't pronounce his name properly, son in law)There was also this little girl who was their real granddaughter, who was about a year older than Keshine (still a baby in my eyes.)Anyway, I don't remember when exactly, but we basically stopped going after a certain year, and I always wondered why.

Turns out my mother hates them.There was always this weird tension when we went there, now that I think back on it.I finally asked the reason not too long ago, and my mother never forgave American Ma because one time she babysat me and evidentally when my mom returned I was soaking wet and developed an extremely high fever the next day.

Still, compared to my REAL grandparents, who were in Taiwan, especially on my dad's side, (I saw his mother ONCE before she died and his father was like a chainsmoking grump?), they were closer and a bigger part of my life when I was young.

Anyway, though, that's in the past...American pa died seven years ago (We had stopped going to their house for a while by then), and American ma has struggled for 10 years with breast cancer.Natasha (Julie and Lubashek's daughter) is all grown up, I doubt she remembers Kenny and Keshine and I, and according to grandma it turns out she wants to be a rock band lead singer/guitarist.

It really tears my heart out though to see her so lonely.Everytime she sees me, Kenny, or Keshine she lights up and reminisces about the old times in that sprawling house (Her story about me liking fried calimari is her favorite).It's a good thing my dad stays there during the weekdays now.

I should try to make an effort to visit her and the rest of them...waxing nostalgic...

Monday, July 18, 2005

Ironic how the stormy discussion over games with my mom on Saturday night faded on Sunday.That and I kept a low profile after installing two air conditions for me and Keshine's rooms and closing my door all day and reading until night.

Anyway, first Halo PC twl match with WPC, and of course my mom's internet applications owned our internet connection way past 9:30.So I had to sit out for Sidewinder, which from the voice comms was a heartbreaking narrow loss.I never knew how good these guys were before (I think Naota said "teh sux"), but they put up a hell of fight, and hell they won Sidewinder, which is evidentally our best map. (Which I wasn't there for but oh well.)9:50 rolls around, mom's gone to shower/sleep, so I sub in for Shinta for Death Island and Timberland.DI was...a slaughter.5-0.Almost nothing to say about that one, except Mike outsheed people, I outsheed people, Methos (base camper), used like a rocket per 2 scores (VERY FEW), and we just completely mauled them.It was sort of silly, that cough secret shee video I had helped a lot as I was able to pull off some dogfight wins.

Timberland was nailbiting.Evidentally Timberland is one of our worst, and it shows.I'm still not exactly sure what role I play on timbo, I've been designated capper, to left rusher, to right rusher, etc. etc.Anyway, we score first, then they pull out a score while I was IN THEIR BASE with a rod.I suicided myself instead of just hiding, stupid stupid stupid.OVERTIME started off scary as they started jumping on us again, but we held and finally Ziri lucked out a flag when we put insanely strong base rape down.

By the way Ziri went AFK like four times in Timberland alone =O.Family business (I know how it feels), but of course they were base raping us whenever he'd blink out =O.

FRAPS is of variable quality.People like pwnage/Dole can record steady at 60 without dying, and I can do that SOMETIMES, but hell sometimes I get crippling halo freezing screen problems.Only way I think to ensure it would be to go down to 30 frames, which just bites ass.

Megaman X1 and X2 speedrun.This isn't two speedruns, this is someone who wired a controller to play two emulators/games at once, so he uses the EXACT same input to beat both games within a frame or so of each other.It's madness, it's headache inducing, it's genius.

Finally, sudoku. Number puzzles. Give them a whirl.I expect everyone to go straight for the evil level ones and spend anywhere from half an hour (my fastest) to 4 hours plus on these.

I'm beginning to think the Garou videos posted at Combovideos is just some doofus who scoured Howardarena for the best matches he could find and then "uploads" them to CV with some bullshit about his two anonymous friends.Anyway, I found a tier list off of HowardArena, and there are some surprises!This as of June 20th of 2005:1. B. Jenet!!!2. Gato3. Kim Dong Hwan/Grant5. Kim Jae Hoon6. Marco Rodriguez7. Kevin Ryan8. Kain R. Heinlein9. Terry Bogard10. Hotaru Futaba11. Freeman12. Rock Howard/Hokutomaru Shiranui13. The Griffon

In fact, Miss Jenet has no matchup below a 5!You'd think that Gato with his cheesy ass corner launcher kicks and his super that combos off EVERYTHING would be first, but evidentally he's below her by two points because HE HAS A 4/6 MATCHUP against her o_O.

What I'm seeing from Jenet is...her air special kicks are safe if blocked, go at a REALLY shallow angle (Think triangle jumping), almost NEVER get just defended cause the initial hit is so fast, usually trade with people's fastest air moves (jumping jabs and shorts!), and if they land on a standing opponent in the corner, can be repeated into each other ending with a super.

She also has a rush move that can be cancelled and seems mainly for continuing a block chain midscreen to push you into the corner.

Jenet also has an air throw and a float/fly.In a game where you can't block in the air (but you can just defend), Jenet seems to be one of the few people who can just jump in fearlessly, cause of her special kicks, her throw, and her ability to change her jump trajectory midair.

Her standing normals are also pretty quick, while she doesn't have corner cheese like Terry's charge punching guard crush, she can make do with her 99mph standing jabs and kicks.

Her game is pretty much short hop special kicks, fast normal, rush move cancelled, fast normal, short hop special kicks or rush move cancelled again until you reach corner, right before corner she will usually do the special kicks to get point blank than spam jabs, guard break, win.

Did I mention I've seen all three of her supers used?Her Chun Li kicks are mainly when standing normals connect on standing people, her dress twirl is usually to finish off a special kicks on counter or against an air opponent (which OFTEN happens, cause NO ONE wants to get hit by the special kicks on the ground), and her weirdo rush super seems to be done usually on just defend cancel.

I'm still sort of calling BS on her being better than Gato though.A 6/4 match up at that.That guy is fucking nuts.

Terry's much lower than I thought he'd be, I mean christ he has that stupid punch rush in the corner thing.Rock's as low as I thought he'd be, he's so one trick, just that it does 80% or so. (Special throw -> ORYAAAAAAA -> Rising Tackle)I thought Kevin Ryan would be higher.Jae Hoon's higher than I thought he'd be too, probably cause I have very few Jae Hoon vids of him winning (Then again he fights Jenet)But his BnB is EASY, does slightly less than a third of your life, and it's comboable from a Jump in or low, so that's pretty nice.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Well, PS2 rom's are pretty hard to hack.Problem is, computer games are not.THIS thing has been all over the news today, as it seems Rockstar left in porno scenes that one can't normally access.However, if you download a patch from some Dutch hacker, it unlocks them.

Now, the outroar exists because, if you're M, i.e. 17 years or older, and you have this game for the PC; you can download a program that unlocks coitus electronicus, if you will.

Haven't we heard of this before?Tomb Raider and Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball nude patches?I think the sticking point here is that the code is already in the game, just not enabled.Does that consist as part of the game to be rated?

I think since the means are the same, the ends are the same.Since you have to alter the game, no matter how small, to view the content, Rockstar really isn't responsible.

If I hid Fuck Yous in an E-rated game's source, am I going to get owned?

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Christ this patch took me a while to hunt down...Distributed on CD only in Japan with scattered 0.9k/second torrents?Fuck you.But yeah it's a LARGE patch.Shit all plays differently too.Akuma was right, have to relearn the game, everything is so weird now.

Ren...Ren is weird XD.But but...I might try picking her up again, EX ICE IS ALL GOOD AGAIN./cry of joy.

I think my joystick (XArcade) made a big mistake in FORCING itself to be like a keyboard.Sometimes a joystick should let you be detected as a fucking joystick, then I wouldn't have problems with button configuration on CERTAIN FUCKING JAPANESE GAMES.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Have you ever noticed that Japanese TV shows start at odd times? One show starts at 6:58, another at 7:00, and another at 7:05. Why is that?

A. Until several years ago, most Japanese TV shows did start exactly on the hour, but because of the TV ratings war, some stations decided to get the jump on their competitors and start their programs a little earlier. The networks realised that because most programs ended a little before the hour, people would often start channel surfing, but they would be more likely to start watching a station that wasn't airing commercials at that time. Similarly, if a program runs until a little past the hour, viewers are more likely to watch the next program because they have missed the beginning of programs that have already started on other stations. Now that every station (except NHK) does it, there is nothing to be gained from starting programs earlier or later, and the stations have become trapped in a vicious circle where starting times are getting earlier and earlier. Thanks to all the people (too numerous to list here) who sent in answers to this question.

This and other weird questions at the Japanese SAQ, or Seldomly Asked Questions.

These shitheads aren't going to leave us alone, they couldn't care less about Iraq as a nation, they just want to kill us.Stow the shit about how we invaded a country for oil contracts and pissed them off, it was one of those areas where everyone knows it's going to boil over but no one wants to do anything.

On edit, more in depth:This isn't Vietnam.If we pull out, these people aren't going to magically disappear and stay in their own countries cause they just won.They're not fighting for Iraqi independance.If anyone remembers, 9/11 was their best move in a series of crap that has been going on for a while and WILL CONTINUE REGARDLESS, before we were even in Iraq.Now that I look back on it, I remember how everyone scoffed on the "WAR ON TERRAWR!"But I think now it's pretty damn valid.These people have been there for a good long while.I think it's time to clean them out.

If you look at the rest of the Middle East, Iraq was the only one we could get a starting foothold in.The rest basically swept their shit under the carpet.It would be like trying to invade China, we know the shit that goes on there, but they haven't declared war on anyone recently, they're just exporting crap (In China's case shoes, in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East terrorists.)

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Anyway, July 4th weekend, ended up going to TAC (Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast) for the first time since four years ago and the second time period.Four years ago, I remember it being in pretty shitty dorms, but pretty organized, then again I was just out of high school.

This year was in Cornell.Cornell is fucking beautiful, the dorms are amazing, the campus rapes JHU blindfolded.However program wise...Long story short, the director of the ABC (After and Beyond College) program dropped out last second, so the two poor counselor helpers had to run everything.

They tried, and I did meet a whole bunch of interesting people, but like I felt we lacked options.The focus for the ABC program was networking/career, but some of those crazy people already had jobs for like three years (one guy had his own house), so some of them just went to the adult programs.Which of course, are completely in Taiwanese (fluency: 0).Anyway, so us ABC's mixed with the adults and the college program (who had a more interesting focus: activism), and it wasn't too bad.Oh right, the food was good, Cornell's like that.But the above choice quote was from the second parent/youth discussion on family matters.That pretty much made the entire youth side of the room rumble like a storm.Seriously, the parents are all like, we listen blah blah, then they go home and just don't.It was sort of funny talking to all these 21+ year old graduates who still have problems with their parents.

Oh yeah, learned some things:90% of asians are or will be lactose intolerant.Taiwan is only 14% bums from China. (Nationalists)I am holo Taiwanese.I will get carded if I try to go into a bar.30 minutes of running will completely exhaust me.Popa/boba/bubble tea, popa is cantonese for big waves, aka big boobs.Hence, how the tea got its name.

If there's one thing though, the conference did sort of reinforce some of my annoyance toward people who don't recognize Taiwan or just don't care. (NOOB THIS MEANS YOU)I felt like there is a vindication for having an independant country (who the fuck are these 14% nationalists that ran the country militarily and now want to reunite with China), and I feel annoyed that these "foreigners" as you will, somehow view us as the same or a part of them.

Oh right I learned how to say that fish my dad likes in Taiwanese.Score one for my language learning.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Right, forget to mention that we sent off Keshine to nerd camp (CTY) a week or so ago.He's going to Siera college, a new site closer than Skidmore.Boys got screwed out of air conditioning yet AGAIN.The girl RAs always whine when the boys try to raise a fuss.I feel sorry that the sexual discrimination continues to this day (8 or so years after I went there).New campus, very jesus freaky.Virgin Mary statues in the courtyards and such.

Anyway tomorrow I'm going to a 3 day two night Taiwanese conference thing.TAC.I haven't been there in a while, we'll see how it goes.